Chinese group Goldwind said it has completed the successful installation of the first wind turbine at the Riyah 2 project in southern Oman. The project is being developed by OQ Alternative Energy, a subsidiary of Oman’s state energy group OQ, in partnership with global major TotalEnergies. 

The turbine installation marks a major construction milestone for Oman’s largest wind power initiative, designed mainly to decarbonise the operations of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) through supply of renewable electricity.

The Riyah 1 and Riyah 2 sites are located within the PDO concession area in southern Oman, in the Amin and Nimr West regions near the border between the Dhofar and Al Wusta governorates. 

Strategically sited to maximise wind resources, the project is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 740,000 tonnes per annum when operational.

The wind farm - located in the high-wind regions of Dhofar and Al Wusta - will supply clean electricity to PDO, supporting the decarbonization of its traditional oil and gas operations and contributing to Oman’s Vision 2040 and net-zero goals.

"We are building green infrastructure to power traditional industries, proving that renewables are the key to a low-carbon future. Meeting the rigorous safety and technical standards of the oil & gas industry, our GWH-182/6.5MW turbines are rising to the challenge in Salalah," said a company spokesman.

Together with the neighbouring Riyah 1 project, the wind complex will have a combined capacity of 234 MW, he stated. 

The electricity will be supplied to PDO, the country’s largest oil and gas producer, which operates a 90,000-sq-km concession area spanning around 200 oil fields, 55 gas fields and some 9,000 active wells, he added.-TradeArabia News Service